


Nod Along

by greenshi



Category: Dimension 20 (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Crossover, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Gore, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Trauma, therell be warnings at the beginning of each chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-02-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:06:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22835995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greenshi/pseuds/greenshi
Summary: Look, you don't go through all this shit and not come out the other end a little traumatized. Luckily, help can be found anywhere, even in your dreams.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 28





	1. Fabian

**Author's Note:**

> TW: Fire/pyrophobia, choking/smoke inhalation, mild gore.

Fire. God, why was there so much fire? Fabian was stuck in place, watching Seacaster Manor burn to the ground. He could hear clanging metal and pained shouts from upstairs as his father and Cathilda fought off the intruders. He wanted so badly to join them, to help them, to keep his family safe, and yet his body remained still and his mind spiraled uncontrollably. His father’s eyepatch was gone, leaving him vulnerable to the fear as blood ran from his empty eye socket. Planks of wood fell from above, sending sparks and ashes into the air. Fabian coughed, trying to catch his breath and do something, anything. Instead, the smoke entered his lungs, and he felt himself choke and gasp as Death’s scorching hands wrapped around his throat. 

Everything hurt, and he was alone, and he was scared. He crumpled to the ground, weak and useless and cowardly, losing himself within a dark shadow that overtook even the flickering lights of the flames. He looked around the room, trying to find some kind of escape. Instead, he was surrounded on all sides by burnt corpses, some of which he recognized. Alistair Ashe and the other cult members, his father, his adventuring party, they all stood around him, staring at him with blank expressions. Fabian opened his mouth, trying to speak, but the words got lost in the smoke. 

Amongst them was one other figure, completely out of place. They were a small child, and they seemed alive. They approached Fabian, bending down and rubbing his back. 

“Poor thing…” they whispered, barely audible. “Come now, you don’t deserve this.”

The child stood up, even going as far as to hover a few inches off of the ground. They brought their hands to their chest, closing their pitch black eyes. In one fluid motion, they flung their arms outward, banishing the nightmare. The flames extinguished, the smoke dissipated in the breeze, and the corpses collapsed in on themselves, as if they had been made of porcelain. After a moment, Fabian raised his head and looked around. He was outside now, under a sky of stars and in a city even bigger than Bastion. He didn’t feel the pain anymore, and the eyepatch had returned, though he still shook from the aftermath. He looked up at the child, confused.

“Wh...What...What was that? Who are you?”

The child simply smiled, offering a hand. 

“There’s no need to worry, you’re safe now. Come, let's find somewhere to talk.”

Fabian hesitated for a moment, still reeling from the nightmare and, frankly, a little creeped out by this grey child. However, he did take their hand and pull himself up. 

“Now, where would you like to do? Anywhere you wish is available to us.”

“Uh...Do you have The Swan’s Little Parade?”

The child’s face lit up.

“A parade of swans?”

“Well, no, not exactly.”

The child wasn’t listening, instead floating away, deeper into the city. Fabian followed after them. It wasn’t long until they reached the restaurant. The child seemed a bit disappointed to discover that there weren’t any swan parades, but they tried not to make it obvious. After being seated, they glanced around, looking impressed and nervous at the same time.

“This place is really fancy.” they commented. “It’s not really what I’m used to, but if you like it, that’s cool.”

Fabian just nodded. 

“So...you didn’t answer my questions before. Where are we, and who are you?” he asked.

“Ah, right, apologizes. I am Nod, the Monarch of Dreams. This is the Realm of Dreams, also known as Nod.” they explained. 

“So, you’re saying I’m dreaming right now?”

“Yup. I found you in that nightmare back there, and thought that you could use some help. You seem to be having a bunch of nightmares like that one, huh? Did something happen?”

Fabian was a bit surprised at the bluntness of their question, but shook it off.

“It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

Nod looked unconvinced.

“Are you sure? No one has so many nightmares like that without something being wrong.”

Fabian just scoffed, giving one of his trademark confident smirks. 

“Please. We took out the Nightmare King months ago, so it’s just a regular old dream. It’s harmless.”

“You think so? Even if it’s not a magical nightmare, it still seemed pretty scary.”

Fabian shrugged.

“I mean, sure, it was a bit frightening, but who cares. It’s just a dream, afterall.”

“I care.” Nod said. “And just because it’s a dream, doesn’t mean it’s powerless. Dreams are often a reflection of the waking world, meaning what you saw there must have had some sort of effect on you.”

Fabian paused. He stared at Nod, who just stared back. He scowled, looking slightly troubled.

“...Well, thank you, I suppose. And while the dream did have some stuff similar to what I’ve experienced, that’s...hm.” he trailed off, looking away. “Will I remember all this? After waking up, I mean.”

“If you’d like, that can be arranged. We can also erase the memory, if you’d prefer.” 

“Yes, I...I’d like to remember. I’ll be able to think about it better once I’m awake, I’m sure.”

“Alright. Would you like to wake up now?”

“...I think so, yeah.”

“Okay. I’ll see you later.”

The last thing Fabian saw was Nod’s gentle smile. He smiled back, this time without the bravo and charisma, but just of thankfulness. Then, before he knew it, they were gone.


	2. Fig

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Self harm.

The stage lights are absolutely blinding. There’s a crowd, Fig can feel their eyes on her, but she can’t make out a single face among them. She’s doing her usual, jamming out on her bass like nobody’s business, but it’s different somehow. She realizes that her bass is the only noise. The crowd is silent, the other members of her band are gone, and suddenly she feels so seen, so alone. Her hands fumble, missing a cord, and it’s met with silence. It all feels so familiar, and it all feels so wrong, and it all feels so right. 

She stops playing. The crowd is silent. Everything is so silent now. She speaks, but her voice is not her own. It’s Dr Keller, Detective Decker, Hilda Hilda, anyone but herself. She looks down at herself, and she is someone else. Doctor’s scrubs, a police badge, grey hairs, clothes and accessories pile on top of her one after another. The crowd finally cheers. Fig can’t breathe. 

She grabs the clothing, tearing it off of her. Layer after layer, she pulls herself out of the bundles of cloth. The crowd grows quiet again, and as she finally free’s her head, she sees that they’ve left all together. She’s alone on stage, lights still burning into her, and she sees that she’s wearing something else. It’s pink, and glittery, and covered in ruffles and lace. She goes to pull it away, but it won’t budge. In her desperate attempts, she begins scratching at it, hoping to rip it apart. Instead, she cuts open her skin, as if she were wearing body paint. She’s becoming frantic, clawing at herself, not caring about the pain. She screams, but there is no sound.

“Stop!”

A small hand grabs her wrist. She tries to pull away, but it holds her tight. 

“Please, don’t do this.”

She looks up at the voice, and sees a child. They look scared.

“Let’s leave this place, okay? I don’t want you to hurt anymore.”

They tug at her wrist, leading her offstage. She follows, and she’s not sure why. As soon as she’s out of the spotlight, her scratches heal and her usual outfit returns. Her heart’s still pounding and her legs still shake, but she knows she is no longer in danger. 

“Hey, uh...thanks for that.” she breathes, sparing one last glance at the stage. It shimmers and moves, flickering like a flame before disappearing. No trace of it is left behind. 

“Don’t mention it. I just couldn’t stand to see you there.”

The child continues to lead Fig away, deep into a city full of bright lights and empty roads. It’s strange, but a good strange.

“Where are we?” Fig asks. “How did I...When did I get here?”

“This is Nod, the Realm of Dreams. You got here by falling asleep.” the child answered. “I am the monarch of this world, so as long as you’re with me, you’ll be safe.”

“Right…” Fig looked back down at the child. “So...what’s your name again?”

“Nod.”

“And why’d you do that, Nod?”

“Do what?”

“Help me.”

Nod looks back at her, piercing her with their blank black eyes.

“Why wouldn’t I? You seemed to be in a really bad place, so it would have been rude not to help.”

“I mean, yeah, but you’re, like, the ruler of this place, aren’t you? Why go out of your way to help me out?”

They shrug.

“‘Cuz I wanted to.”

Fig shook her head, clearly not believing them. After a moment of thought, she came to a conclusion.

“Ah, I get it! You’re a fan, aren’t you? You want me to sign something, as thanks?” she asked confidently. Nod looked confused.

“A fan? What, are you famous or something?”

“Yeah! Fig and the Sig Figs! You must have heard of us.”

Nod thought for a moment.

“...I’ve heard that name before in some dreams. A lot of people wanna kiss you.”

Fig’s cheeks darkened just a bit, though she looked more nervous than flattered. 

“Oh? That’s...I suppose that makes sense.” she said. There was something in her voice, almost like she was telling a bad lie.

“Yeah, I guess. It must be nice, being loved by that many people.”

Fig couldn’t help it, she let out a dry laugh at that.

“Love? Yeah, sure.” she began to explain. “They don’t even know me.”

“That’s...harsh.”

“It’s the truth. No one knows me, not really.”

Nod stopped walking, turning to face Fig completely.

“No one? Not even your friends? Your family? Yourself?”

Fig paused, her fake grin falling.

“...I mean, you saw me back there. They think I’m someone different. Which is fine, I prefer it that way to be totally honest. Bad things hurt less when there’s a character between me and it, y’know? Like a level of separation.”

“...I know you.”

“No you don’t.”

“Yeah, I do.” they insisted. “I’ve seen you in many dreams before. I know that you’re kind, and that you’ve always aimed to do good, even if you don’t know how. You feel your emotions easily, and tend to turn to them when all else fails. This has been true for you always, even before the horns.”

That hit Fig like a shot through the chest. She stood there, stunned, as the world began to sway and flicker around her. She would be waking up soon.

“...You don’t know me.” she repeated, though with less certainty.

“Well, what else is there to know?” Nod asked. Fig had no answer. Instead, she knelt down in front of them, and in one clumsy motion, gave them a hug, which they returned. Moments later, she was gone.


End file.
